Consumer Environmentalism
It was all the rage at the Arthur W. Page Society Spring Meeting (see page 1), and statistics suggest that it's not going anywhere any time soon. "It" is corporate
citizenship, and a recent Cone survey focused in on one aspect - environmental consciousness - and yielded the following results:
- 32% of surveyed Americans report heightened interest in the environment compared to a year ago;
- 93% believe companies have a responsibility to help preserve the environment;
- 47% have purchased environmentally friendly products in the past year;
- 91% have a more positive image of a company when it is environmentally friendly; and
- 85% would consider switching to another company's products or services because of negative corporate responsibility practices.
As far as what consumers expect of businesses, over-packaging, transportation and pollution remain key concerns. The following company actions were supported by
respondents:
- 71%: Reducing pollution through office and manufacturing operations;
- 69%: Designing products/packaging with more environmentally friendly contents and minimal packaging;
- 69%: Distributing and transporting products more efficiently;
- 62%: Communicating environmental efforts to consumers and employees so each group can support those efforts;
- 59%: Donating money to environmental causes; and
- 57%: Lobbying for environmentally friendly policies.
Given this blatant interest in CSR (and companies' increased involvement in initiatives), communications professionals would be wise to address these specific consumer
interests. In terms of receiving CSR-related communications, the following are the preferred channels:
- 45% prefer advertising; and
- 41% want communication via the company's Web site, which is the second outlet for social and environmental communication.
They Don't Call It A "Crackberry" For Nothin'
Every business person out there thanks (and curses) the gods of e-mail for enabling instant communication with employees and clients. Every business person out there has
probably also taken advantage of technological advances and checked e-mail during a meeting/conference/presentation (except last week, when Blackberry suffered an embarrassing
service outage).
A new survey developed by Robert Half Management Resources, which includes responses from 150 senior human resources, finance and marketing executives, checked in on
executives' thoughts on e-mail usage and etiquette.
When asked, "In your experience, how common is it for professionals you work with to read and respond to e-mail messages on their mobile devices during business meetings?" the
responses were as follows:
- 53% said that it was very common;
- 33% said somewhat common;
- 9% said somewhat uncommon; and
- 5% said very uncommon. (We'd like to be a fly on the wall at their meetings.)
When asked, "Which of the following most closely describes your reaction when professionals read and respond to e-mail during business meetings?" the responses were as
follows:
- 37% said it's okay to read and respond during a meeting, but only if the message is urgent;
- 31% said it's never okay, and that e-mail devices should be turned off during meetings;
- 23% said it's okay to check messages as long as attendees excuse themselves and step outside to do so; and
- 9% said it's perfectly acceptable, especially at a time when what is being said doesn't pertain to them.
Tech Investments
A new study conducted by Harris Interactive revealed that many businesses today view their technology infrastructure as an enabling platform for meeting and exceeding customer
service requirements. The obvious connection for communicators: the increasing role new technologies play in their daily initiatives. The findings also showed that:
- When preparing for technology investments, 21% cited cost-savings as a beneficial aspect;
- 18% said it would provide a unified means of communications;
- 13% said it would increase the flexibility of how people want to be reached; and
- 10% said it would increase work productivity.